A forklift might spend most of its working life parked in the corner of a workshop, waiting for the next delivery. Another may only be needed when production increases or the main warehouse truck becomes unavailable. With so little activity showing on the hour meter, arranging a service can feel less urgent than maintaining equipment used every day.
However, occasional use does not remove the need for maintenance. The right approach depends on the particular truck, its manufacturer’s instructions, its condition and the circumstances in which it is kept. Understanding those factors helps businesses look after equipment without relying on guesswork about when attention is due.
Is the Hour Meter Giving You the Whole Picture?
Operating hours help explain how much a forklift has worked, but they cannot answer every maintenance question. A reading that has barely changed since the last visit tells you little about the time that has passed or what has happened to the equipment while it has been standing.
Start with the maintenance instructions for your make and model. Where these specify a calendar interval alongside an operating-hour interval, a low reading should not be used to disregard the time requirement. Ask your maintenance provider to clarify the schedule if the documentation is incomplete or difficult to interpret.
It is also useful to compare current readings with previous service reports. A dated record makes it easier to establish the truck’s actual usage and identify when its working pattern changed. Without that history, “it hardly gets used” can become an assumption repeated for years.
Different Types of Occasional Use Need Different Planning
A forklift used for twenty minutes each morning has a different role from one brought out for a busy week every few months. Both might record relatively few hours, yet the business depends on them in different ways.
For a truck handling regular deliveries, servicing can often be planned around a predictable quiet period. Equipment reserved for seasonal demand needs attention organised before that demand arrives. A standby machine requires particular consideration because the business may expect it to become available immediately when another truck breaks down.
Explain this pattern when discussing planned forklift servicing. Describe when the truck is needed, how long it normally works and what would happen if it were unavailable. This gives the engineer a clearer understanding of the equipment’s role than the hour reading alone.
What Happens Between Jobs Matters Too
Maintenance planning should consider the weeks when a forklift is idle as well as the days when it operates. Where the equipment is parked, how it is looked after and who remains responsible for it are all useful parts of that discussion.
A truck stored in a dedicated indoor space may have different circumstances from one left outside or moved between buildings. Tell your maintenance provider about the storage environment and any changes you have noticed. Report visible damage, leaks or other concerns through your normal workplace procedure rather than waiting for the next scheduled visit.
Follow the instructions applicable to the truck when preparing it for a period out of use. Do not assume that briefly starting the engine or moving the machine occasionally provides all the care it needs. Storage arrangements should be suitable for the equipment concerned.
Battery Care Should Match the Equipment
Electric forklifts need a battery-care routine appropriate to the battery and charging system fitted. Advice intended for another machine may be unsuitable, particularly where different battery technologies are involved.
If the truck is used infrequently, ask how its charging and storage arrangements should be managed between jobs. Make sure the person responsible has access to the relevant instructions and understands when specialist advice is needed. Avoid introducing an improvised charging routine simply because the forklift is rarely used.
The same principle applies to diesel and LPG equipment. Follow the manufacturer’s requirements for the particular machine and seek clarification where its long periods of inactivity are not covered by your existing arrangements. A maintenance plan should reflect the equipment you own and how your business actually uses it.
Keep Checks, Servicing and Fault Reporting Connected
A service appointment is one part of looking after a forklift. Operators still need to complete the appropriate checks before use and report concerns when they arise.
This can be harder to manage with equipment that several departments use occasionally. One person may assume another has checked the truck, while a concern mentioned during an earlier job may never reach the person arranging maintenance. Clear responsibility helps prevent those gaps.
The HSE’s guidance on maintaining work equipment explains the importance of planned maintenance, competent maintenance personnel and a procedure for reporting faulty equipment. Build those principles into an everyday process that also covers your less frequently used machinery.
If a problem has already been identified, explain it when booking work. A routine service and an investigation into a specific fault may require different arrangements, so the engineer needs to understand both requirements beforehand.
Prepare Before a Quiet Truck Becomes Essential
An unexpected delivery or busy production period can quickly turn an occasional-use forklift into essential equipment. Reviewing its maintenance position in advance gives you more opportunity to address outstanding work before that happens.
Consider the duties planned for the coming period. Will the truck operate for longer, work in another area or handle different goods? Changes should be discussed with the appropriate people before relying on the equipment for the new task.
Make existing reports available and identify recommendations that have not yet been completed. If there is a known defect, arrange an appropriate assessment through a competent provider. Do not use a busy schedule as a reason to put faulty equipment back into operation.
Where a repair is needed, our forklift repair support provides a way to discuss the symptoms and the work affected. Explain any deadline when making the enquiry so the practical requirements are clear.
Give Standby Equipment a Named Owner
Equipment used every day tends to attract attention because someone notices immediately when it is unavailable. A standby forklift can be easier to overlook, particularly when it sits outside the main production or warehouse routine.
Assign someone to keep its documentation together and arrange maintenance when due. They should know where the operating instructions, service reports and relevant examination records are held, and how operators should pass concerns to them.
A shared diary or equipment register can help, provided someone is responsible for reviewing it. Record the next action clearly rather than relying on a reminder that says only “forklift”. Include the equipment identity, what needs arranging and who will organise it.
This also makes handovers easier when staff leave or change roles. The maintenance history remains accessible instead of disappearing with the person who previously managed the truck.
Make Your Next Maintenance Enquiry More Useful
Before contacting a servicing provider, gather the truck’s identification details and available maintenance records. Explain its usual workload, periods of inactivity, storage arrangements and any expected increase in use.
Be clear about missing information. If you do not know when the previous service took place or whether earlier recommendations were completed, say so. That uncertainty is useful context when deciding the next step.
Forklifts4U can discuss maintenance requirements for electric, diesel and LPG forklifts, including trucks used occasionally or retained as standby equipment. Speak to our team about your machine’s history and working pattern so suitable servicing arrangements can be considered.